Which 68 teams make our first 2026 Bracketology, and which teams may be hoping for NCAA Tournament expansion

With college basketball's 2025-26 rosters now mostly set, a clearer picture of the season ahead is beginning to emerge. On the heels of a historic NCAA Tournament tally for the SEC, a couple of other power conferences are assembling their horses.

The Big Ten has nine of the top 30 and 14 of the top 50 in Bart Torvik's preseason rankings, while the Big 12 has eight of the top 35. The ACC and Big East don't have quite such strong collections, but they have amassed enough talent to, at minimum, match their combined tally of nine NCAA Tournament bids from 2025.

Returning to the record-setting threshold of 14 entrants to the Big Dance will be a tough task for the SEC, but it certainly won't be impossible as the league heads toward a new season with 13 of the nation's top 40 teams in Torvik's ratings.

NCAA tables tournament expansion, delaying March Madness decision with 72, 76-team options still possible

Where it gets a bit murky for the league is in the lower half, as there are five SEC teams ranked between No. 31 and 40, per Torvik. Will the conference produce an ironclad non-league run again this season that fortifies its down-ballot squads as NCAA Tournament teams?

The league should be great again, but the Big 12 and Big Ten are stocked with enough talent to cut into the SEC's haul. If the ACC's crop of four first-year coaches can breathe some life into that conference, it could also impede the SEC's effort at producing another tally in the teens. Then, there's the Big East. Will proud programs at Providence, Georgetown and Villanova continue languishing on the wrong side of the bubble?

Pay attention to the "first four out" teams of Mississippi State, Indiana, Georgia and Kansas State. Those teams would make the field if NCAA Tournament expansion were to be approved to 72 teams ahead of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Potential expansion to 72 or 76 teams remains a possibility, and the additional teams would be at-large participants required to win a preliminary game — like what is currently called the "First Four" — before advancing into the main 64-team bracket.

Here's our first effort at answering those questions with a summertime edition of Bracketology ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Since Houston is the host site of the South Regional, the Cougars would be ineligible to compete in that region. However, the Houston Chronicle reported in May that the school is looking for another local university to be the host institution, which would free the Cougars to be eligible to play inside the Toyota Center on the second weekend of the Big Dance. For now, they are slotted as the No. 1 seed in in the Midwest Region.

Cincinnati

Texas A&M

Georgetown

Boise State

Mississippi State

Indiana

Georgia

Kansas State

First Four (Dayton)

(11) Georgetown vs. (11) Boise State

(11) Cincinnati vs. (11) Texas A&M

(16) LIU vs. (16) Norfolk State

(16) Montana vs. (16) Quinnipiac

West Region (San Jose)

Philadelphia (Fri/Sun)

(1) St. John's vs. (16) Bethune-Cookman

(8) Wisconsin vs. (9) Texas

Oklahoma City (Thu/Sat)

(4) Auburn vs. (13) Abilene Christian

(5) Arizona (12) Liberty

Greenville (Thu/Sat)

(2) Duke vs. (15) Vermont

(7) Missouri vs. (10) South Florida

Greenville (Thu/Sat)

(3) Tennessee vs. (14) Arkansas State

(6) Creighton vs. (11) Maryland

South Region (Houston)

St. Louis (Fri/Sun)

(1) Purdue vs. (16) Navy

(8) Baylor vs. (9) Vanderbilt

Portland (Thu/Sat)

(4) Iowa State vs. (13) UCSB

(5) Arkansas vs. (12) Akron

Philadelphia (Fri/Sun)

(2) Kentucky vs. (15) Florida Gulf Coast

(7) USC vs. (10) VCU

Tampa (Fri/Sun)

(3) Alabama vs. (14) Towson

(6) Michigan State vs. (11) SMU

East Region (Washington D.C.)

Tampa (Fri/Sun)

(1) Florida vs. (16) Montana/Quinnipiac

(8) Marquette vs. (9) Ohio State

San Diego (Fri/Sun)

(4) Texas Tech vs. (13) High Point

(5) Illinois vs. (12) McNeese

Buffalo (Fri/Sun)

(2) UConn vs. (15) Robert Morris

(7) Oregon vs. (10) Ole Miss

St. Louis (Fri/Sun)

(3) Louisville vs. (14) Furman

(6) San Diego State vs. (11) Cincinnati/Texas A&M

Midwest Region (Chicago)

Oklahoma City (Thu/Sat)

(1) Houston vs. (16) LIU/Norfolk State

(8) Iowa vs. (9) NC State

San Diego (Fri/Sun)

(4) UCLA vs. (13) Northern Iowa

(5) Kansas vs. (12) Yale

Buffalo (Thu/Sat)

(2) Michigan vs. (15) Southeast Missouri State

(7) North Carolina vs (10) Saint Mary's

Portland (Thu/Sat)

(3) BYU vs. (14) South Dakota State

(6) Gonzaga vs. (11) Georgetown/Boise State